The Burnaby Firefighters Charitable Society represents Burnaby Firefighters in our mission to raise money for community groups and non-profit organizations. Our Society has no paid employees – members of Burnaby Firefighters Local 323 volunteer their time to administer the business of the Society.

Our ongoing dedication to help our community is reflected in the kind of work we do: firefighters are prepared to put our lives on the line to protect the community. We know that protecting a community is about more than handling emergencies – it’s about helping people in our community every day – people who have to deal with health problems, disabilities, poverty, abuse, hunger and so many other issues. We know we can make a difference.

Who we support
The Burnaby Firefighters Charitable Society raises funds to provide sizeable annual donations to more than 60 charitable and community organizations. Our focus is to support Burnaby-based charities, and we are fortunate to have also been able to extend our support to other needy organizations in the Lower Mainland, when the call comes in.

In September 2005, the Burnaby Firefighters Charitable Society initiated a nutritional snack program at two of Burnaby’s elementary schools and a community centre that by 2011 expanded to include a total of ten schools in the city. Schools having a high proportion of students from low income families where nutrition is a major concern are provided nutritious snacks on a regular basis that are purchased and dlivered by Burnaby firefighters. The teachers have reported great results from this simple program: children are more focused and learning in the classroom has improved. We hope to continue expand this program to other schools that are identified as having similar challenges.

"VIP" - Vital Information Program

Launched in September of 2008, the Burnaby Firefighters Charitable Society’s VITAL INFORMATION PROGRAM - “VIP” - has been a huge success in the community. The Burnaby Firefighters Charitable Society is proud to be a founding member of this important program.
The VIP is a FREE program available to Burnaby residents and has been designed to provide pertinent medical information about your physical or mental condition to Fire, Police and Ambulance personnel, in case of an emergency.
Each VIP kit contains a plastic container that holds a medical information form, a VIP sticker designed to alert emergency personnel that you are participating in the VIP program and a detailed page of instructions.
The VIP program is sponsored by the Burnaby Fire Department, City of Burnaby, Lougheed Town Centre, Life Labs, the Burnaby NewsLeader and the Burnaby Firefighters Charitable Society.Click here to download additional medical information forms.
Kits are available at the following Burnaby locations during business hours:Burnaby Fire Departments:
#1 Station - 4867 Sperling Ave.
#2 Station - 7578 Edmonds St.
#3 Station - 6511 Marlborough Ave.
#4 Station - 2326 Duthie Ave.
#5 Station - 4211 Hastings St.
#6 Station - 3620 Brighton Ave.
#7 Station - 3151 Gilmore DiversionLougheed Town Centre Customer Service Centre
9855 Austin Avenue, BurnabyLife Labs:
#302 - 3965 Kingsway
324 South Gilmore Avenue

In addition to fundraising, our members are also active in delivering vital programs to people throughout our community. Over the past several years, the Burnaby Firefighters Charitable Society has:
• taught thousands of students and community members how to perform Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation
• founded the "VITAL INFORMATION PROGRAM" (VIP), a tool that assists emergency personnel in the event of a crisis
• been active in fire prevention awareness, helping both children and adults understand how to prevent fires and what to do if one occurs

Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation

For many years, the Burnaby Firefighters Charitable Society has supported and provided Cardio-Pulmonary Training with Burnaby Firefighters teaching students in Burnaby's High Schools this important and critical life-saving skill.

CPR is a proven hands-on technique that can double a person's chance of survival from cardiac arrest. If CPR is started within four minutes of collapse and defibrillation is provided within 10 minutes, a person has a 40% chance of survival.

With over 20 years teaching in the Burnaby School District, plus real life on-the-job experiences in emergency situations, the Burnaby Firefighters Charitable Society can also provide customized, professional CPR and First Aid Training for community organizations and businesses.

The Burnaby Firefighters Charitable Society is primarily funded through the efforts of the members of IAFF Local 323, the Burnaby Firefighters. More than half of our members contribute to the Society through payroll deduction, in addition to the considerable amount of personal time they spend volunteering at community events.

Each year, in the spring, we hold our Annual Charitable Ball, a very popular fundraising event supported by our community for almost 25 years, and in the late summer, we hold our Annual Golf Tournament to help raise funds to support our Charitable Society.

In order to maintain our commitment to the charities we support, we have established the Burnaby Firefighters Charitable Endowment Fund. We hope to raise $2,000,000 for the endowment fund (this generates its own revenue which can then be used for donations without touching the principal amount). We have already raised nearly $670,000 and will continue to work towards achieving our goal.

Donations to our charitable efforts may be made by mailing a cheque or money order to:

Your donation goes directly to the community groups and non-profit organizations that we support. Please specify whether you want your donation directed to our Endowment Fund or to a specific charitable group.

For further information about what you can do to help the Burnaby Firefighters Charitable Society, please contact Jeff Clark directly at 604-812-8699 or by email at bfd239@yahoo.com.

Scotiabank supports the Burnaby Firefighters Charitable Society

Many thanks to one of our major sponsors, Scotiabank, who, as long time supporters, continue to provide incredible financial and volunteer support to the Burnaby Firefighters Charitable Society.

In the photo above, Scotiabank presented a cheque for more than $9,791.10 to match funds raised at our Annual Charitable Ball and our Annual Golf Tournament. Local 323 President Rob Lamoureux and Captain Terry Bingley accepted the cheque presented by Andrew Porter, Susanne Kingshott and Lana Russell from Scotiabank at Fire Hall #5 in Burnaby on December 5, 2009.

Awards

The Burnaby Firefighters Charitable Society is honoured to have been recognized by the Burnaby Business Excellence Awards, a joint initiative of the Burnaby Board of Trade and the City of Burnaby, with the Community Service Award and, most recently, in 2013, the "Not-for-Profit of the Year" Award.

These awards are treasured by the Burnaby Firefighters who volunteer to make our Charitable Society a success with their selfless donation of time and effort.

For almost 25 years, the Burnaby Firefighters Charitable Society has presented our Annual Ball, a gala event held annually each spring that receives incredible support from our community.
We are grateful for all the sponsors, donors and volunteers who help make our Annual Charitable Ball such a complete success!